Samsung QN85A vs Sony X90J

Which TV Is Better?

Products

Samsung QN85A
Sony X90J

Tested using Methodology v1.11

Updated Sep 24, 2025 06:39 PM

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Amazon.com

Tested using Methodology v1.11

Updated Aug 28, 2025 03:02 PM

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Amazon.com

Our Verdict

Samsung QN85A

Sony X90J

The Sony X90J and the Samsung QN85A are both great TVs, but they're also very different. The Sony uses a VA panel with a much higher contrast ratio, which means it can display deeper blacks for a better dark room viewing experience but has narrow viewing angles. On the other hand, the Samsung uses an IPS-like panel with wide viewing angles but has a low contrast ratio that makes blacks appear gray in the dark. If you plan on watching TV in a very well-lit room, the Samsung is a better choice because it has significantly better reflection handling and gets a lot brighter. Its high brightness also means that you get a better HDR experience. The Samsung has a lower input lag and FreeSync VRR support, which the Sony doesn't have.

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Variants

  • QN55QN85AAFXZA (55")
  • QN65QN85AAFXZA (65")
  • QN75QN85AAFXZA (75")
  • QN85QN85AAFXZA (85")
  • XR50X90J (50")
  • XR55X90J (55")
  • XR65X90J (65")
  • XR75X90J (75")

Check Price

50"
 
50"
XR50X90J
Amazon.com
55"
QN55QN85AAFXZA
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
55"
XR55X90J
Amazon.com
65"
QN65QN85AAFXZA
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
65"
XR65X90J
Amazon.com
75"
QN75QN85AAFXZA
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
75"
XR75X90J
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
85"
QN85QN85AAFXZA
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
85"
 

Main Differences for
Mixed Usage

Threshold 

0.10

Mixed Usage 

8.3
7.9

Reflections 
 

9.3
7.1

Low-Quality Content Smoothing 
 

6.3
8.4

Viewing Angle 
 

7.9
5.3

Full Comparison

Design

Style  

Design Picture  

Curved  

No
No
Show Text 

Accelerated Longevity Test 
 

Uniformity Pictures  

50-gray-30
Month 30
50% Gray
50-gray-28
Month 28
50% Gray

Longevity Graph  

See details
See details
Show Text 

Stand  

Stand Picture  

Show Text 

Back  

Back Picture  

Wall Mount  

VESA 200x200
VESA 300x300
Show Text 

Borders  

Borders Picture  

Borders  

0.35" (0.9 cm)
0.39" (1.0 cm)

Thickness  

Thickness Picture  

Max Thickness  

1.06" (2.7 cm)
2.83" (7.2 cm)

Build Quality 
 

9.0
7.5

Build quality picture  

Show Text 
Picture Quality

Contrast 
 

8.8
8.8

Contrast Picture  

Contrast 
 

195,600 : 1
34,435 : 1

Native Contrast 
 

1,406 : 1
7,407 : 1
Show Text 

Blooming 
 

7.5
6.0

Blooming Photo  

Lighting Zone Transitions 
 

8.0
5.5

Preferred LD Video, Moving Object  

Local Dimming 
 

Yes
Yes

Backlight 
 

Full-Array
Full-Array

Dimming Zones Count Of Tested TV 
 

576
24

Contrast And Dark Details In Game Mode 
 

8.0
8.0

Blooming Photo In Game Mode  

Preferred LD Video, Moving Object In Game Mode  

Game Transitions With VRR And Preferred LD  

Show Text 

HDR Brightness 
 

8.3
7.0

HDR Hallway Photo  

HDR Cityscape Photo  

HDR Landscape Photo  

Hallway Lights (~1950 cd/m²) 
 

887 cd/m²
356 cd/m²

Yellow Skyscraper (~700 cd/m²) 
 

248 cd/m²
267 cd/m²

Landscape Pool (~300 cd/m²) 
 

228 cd/m²
206 cd/m²

Peak 2% Window 
 

1,145 cd/m²
599 cd/m²

Peak 10% Window 
 

1,189 cd/m²
752 cd/m²

Peak 25% Window 
 

1,230 cd/m²
650 cd/m²

Peak 50% Window 
 

1,123 cd/m²
554 cd/m²

Peak 100% Window 
 

663 cd/m²
559 cd/m²

Sustained 2% Window 
 

1,137 cd/m²
583 cd/m²

Sustained 10% Window 
 

1,178 cd/m²
731 cd/m²

Sustained 25% Window 
 

1,216 cd/m²
647 cd/m²

Sustained 50% Window 
 

1,121 cd/m²
553 cd/m²

Sustained 100% Window 
 

660 cd/m²
558 cd/m²

Automatic Brightness Limiting (ABL) 
 

0.033
0.021
Show Text 

HDR Brightness In Game Mode 
 

8.5
7.4

HDR Hallway Photo  

HDR Cityscape Photo  

HDR Landscape Photo  

Hallway Lights (~1950 cd/m²) 
 

856 cd/m²
406 cd/m²

Yellow Skyscraper (~700 cd/m²) 
 

320 cd/m²
332 cd/m²

Landscape Pool (~300 cd/m²) 
 

233 cd/m²
215 cd/m²

Peak 2% Window 
 

1,087 cd/m²
596 cd/m²

Peak 10% Window 
 

1,151 cd/m²
750 cd/m²

Peak 25% Window 
 

1,193 cd/m²
642 cd/m²

Peak 50% Window 
 

1,017 cd/m²
553 cd/m²

Peak 100% Window 
 

648 cd/m²
558 cd/m²

Sustained 2% Window 
 

1,082 cd/m²
582 cd/m²

Sustained 10% Window 
 

1,145 cd/m²
731 cd/m²

Sustained 25% Window 
 

1,186 cd/m²
639 cd/m²

Sustained 50% Window 
 

1,015 cd/m²
552 cd/m²

Sustained 100% Window 
 

647 cd/m²
558 cd/m²

Automatic Brightness Limiting (ABL) 
 

0.052
0.022
Show Text 

PQ EOTF Tracking 
 

7.2
9.6

PQ EOTF Graph  

See details
See details

600 Nit Tracking Delta 
 

0.0224
0.0024

1000 Nit Tracking Delta 
 

0.0224
0.0024

4000 Nit Tracking Delta 
 

0.0181
0.0025

SDR Brightness 
 

9.2
8.5

Real Scene Peak Brightness 
 

1,156 cd/m²
519 cd/m²

Peak 2% Window 
 

968 cd/m²
574 cd/m²

Peak 10% Window 
 

1,124 cd/m²
757 cd/m²

Peak 25% Window 
 

1,144 cd/m²
555 cd/m²

Peak 50% Window 
 

1,129 cd/m²
505 cd/m²

Peak 100% Window 
 

622 cd/m²
540 cd/m²

Sustained 2% Window 
 

950 cd/m²
556 cd/m²

Sustained 10% Window 
 

1,120 cd/m²
733 cd/m²

Sustained 25% Window 
 

1,139 cd/m²
555 cd/m²

Sustained 50% Window 
 

1,124 cd/m²
503 cd/m²

Sustained 100% Window 
 

620 cd/m²
539 cd/m²

Automatic Brightness Limiting (ABL) 
 

0.034
0.020
Show Text 

Color Gamut 
 

8.3
7.6

Wide Color Gamut 
 

Yes
No

Color Gamut DCI-P3 Picture  

DCI P3 xy 
 

92.06%
87.40%

DCI P3 uv 
 

95.93%
89.40%

Color Gamut Rec.2020 Picture  

Rec 2020 xy 
 

68.68%
63.12%

Rec 2020 uv 
 

75.66%
65.84%
Show Text 

Color Volume 
 

8.5
7.3

P3 Color Volume ITP Picture  

1,000 cd/m² DCI P3 Coverage ITP 
 

87.8%
60.9%

2020 Color Volume ITP Picture  

10,000 cd/m² Rec 2020 Coverage ITP 
 

41.5%
27.7%

White Luminance 
 

1,152 cd/m²
402 cd/m²

Red Luminance 
 

230 cd/m²
86 cd/m²

Green Luminance 
 

819 cd/m²
281 cd/m²

Blue Luminance 
 

61 cd/m²
40 cd/m²

Cyan Luminance 
 

891 cd/m²
313 cd/m²

Magenta Luminance 
 

309 cd/m²
123 cd/m²

Yellow Luminance 
 

1,016 cd/m²
369 cd/m²
Show Text 

Pre Calibration 
 

8.9
8.9

Pre White Balance Picture  

Pre Gamma Curve Picture  

Pre Color Picture  

White Balance dE 
 

1.23
1.49

Color dE 
 

1.61
1.21

Gamma 
 

2.21
2.18

Color Temperature 
 

6,423 K
6,745 K

Picture Mode 
 

Movie
Custom

Color Temp Setting 
 

Warm 2
Expert 1

Gamma Setting 
 

2.2
0
Show Text 

Post Calibration 
 

9.5
9.5

Post White Balance Picture  

Post Gamma Curve Picture  

Post Color Picture  

White Balance dE 
 

0.18
0.35

Color dE 
 

1.27
1.14

Gamma 
 

2.20
2.20

Color Temperature 
 

6,532 K
6,536 K

White Balance Calibration 
 

20 point
10 point

Color Calibration 
 

Yes
Yes
Show Text 

Gray Uniformity 
 

7.2
7.3

50% Uniformity Picture  

50% Std. Dev. 
 

3.373%
4.527%

50% DSE 
 

0.218%
0.176%

5% Uniformity Picture  

5% Std. Dev. 
 

0.352%
1.225%

5% DSE 
 

0.028%
0.103%
Show Text 

Black Uniformity 
 

8.7
7.2

Black Uniformity Picture With Preferred Local Dimming  

Std. Dev. 
 

0.336%
1.366%

Native Black Uniformity Picture  

Native Std. Dev. 
 

2.859%
0.858%
Show Text 

Viewing Angle 
 

7.9
5.3

Viewing Angle Video  

Chroma Graph  

Color Washout 
 

38°
27°

Hue Graph  

Color Shift 
 

54°
25°

Lightness Graph  

Brightness Loss 
 

38°
38°

Black Level Raise 
 

70°
14°

Gamma Shift 
 

53°
14°
Show Text 

Reflections 
 

9.3
7.1

Reflections Picture  

Average Room Off Picture  

Bright Room Off Picture  

Screen Finish 
 

Glossy
Semi-gloss

Total Reflections 
 

1.3%
5.7%

Indirect Reflections 
 

0.1%
0.6%

Calculated Direct Reflections 
 

1.2%
5.1%
Show Text 

HDR Native Gradient 
 

7.0
7.5

HDR Gradient Picture  

100% Black to 50% Gray  

6.0
6.0

50% Gray to 100% White  

6.0
8.0

100% Black to 50% Red  

8.0
6.0

50% Red to 100% Red  

8.0
10

100% Black to 50% Green  

8.0
6.0

50% Green to 100% Green  

6.0
8.0

100% Black to 50% Blue  

8.0
8.0

50% Blue to 100% Blue  

6.0
8.0

Low-Quality Content Smoothing 
 

6.3
8.4

Low-Quality Content Smoothing Picture  

Smoothing 
 

6.0
8.5

Detail Preservation 
 

7.0
8.0

Upscaling: Sharpness Processing 
 

7.5
7.5

Sharpness Picture - 480p  

Show Text 

Pixels 
 

Pixels Picture  

Subpixel Layout 
 

RGB
BGR

Type  

LED
LED

Sub-Type 
 

IPS
VA
Show Text 
Motion

Response Time 
 

8.1
8.4

Motion Blur Picture  

Response Time Chart  

80% Response Time 
 

5.2 ms
3.9 ms

100% Response Time 
 

10.5 ms
10.7 ms
Show Text 

Flicker-Free 
 

9.9
9.5

Backlight chart 
 

Flicker-Free 
 

No
No

PWM Dimming Frequency 
 

960 Hz
720 Hz
Show Text 

Black Frame Insertion (BFI) 
 

BFI Picture  

BFI Frequency Picture  

Optional BFI 
 

Yes
Yes

Min Flicker For 60 fps 
 

60 Hz
120 Hz

60Hz For 60 fps 
 

Yes
No

120Hz For 120 fps 
 

Yes
Yes

Min Flicker for 60 fps in Game Mode 
 

60 Hz
120 Hz
Show Text 

Motion Interpolation 
 

Motion Interpolation (30 fps) Picture  

Motion Interpolation (30 fps) 
 

Yes
Yes

Motion Interpolation (60 fps) Picture  

Motion Interpolation (60 fps) 
 

Yes
Yes
Show Text 

Stutter 
 

6.9
6.9

Frame Hold Time @ 24 fps 
 

31.2 ms
30.9 ms

Frame Hold Time @ 60 fps 
 

6.2 ms
5.9 ms
Show Text 

24p Judder 
 

10
10

Judder-Free 24p 
 

Yes
Yes

Judder-Free 24p via 60p 
 

Yes
Yes

Judder-Free 24p via 60i 
 

Yes
Yes

Judder-Free 24p via Native Apps 
 

Yes
Yes
Show Text 

Variable Refresh Rate 
 

9.4
9.4

Native Refresh Rate 
 

120 Hz
120 Hz

Variable Refresh Rate 
 

Yes
Yes

HDMI Forum VRR 
 

Yes
Yes

FreeSync 
 

Yes
No

G-SYNC Compatible 
 

Yes
Yes

4k VRR Maximum 
 

120 Hz
120 Hz

4k VRR Minimum 
 

< 20 Hz
< 20 Hz

1080p VRR Maximum 
 

120 Hz
120 Hz

1080p VRR Minimum 
 

< 20 Hz
< 20 Hz

1440p VRR Maximum 
 

120 Hz
120 Hz

1440p VRR Minimum 
 

< 20 Hz
< 20 Hz

VRR + Local Dimming  

Yes
Yes
Show Text 
Inputs

Input Lag 
 

9.7
9.2

1080p @ 60Hz 
 

10.3 ms
18.7 ms

1080p @ 60Hz Outside Game Mode 
 

81.6 ms
161.7 ms

1080p @ 120Hz 
 

5.3 ms
10.0 ms

1080p @ 144Hz 
 

N/A
N/A

1440p @ 60Hz 
 

9.8 ms
18.1 ms

1440p @ 120Hz 
 

5.3 ms
N/A

1440p @ 144Hz 
 

N/A
N/A

4k @ 60Hz 
 

9.7 ms
18.1 ms

4k @ 60Hz + 10-Bit HDR 
 

9.8 ms
18.0 ms

4k @ 60Hz @ 4:4:4 
 

9.7 ms
18.1 ms

4k @ 60Hz Outside Game Mode 
 

68.6 ms
144.9 ms

4k @ 60Hz With Interpolation 
 

20.6 ms
137.5 ms

4k @ 120Hz 
 

5.3 ms
11.1 ms

4k @ 144Hz 
 

N/A
N/A

8k @ 60Hz 
 

N/A
N/A
Show Text 

Supported Resolutions 
 

9.6
9.3

Resolution  

4k
4k

480p @ 59.94Hz (Widescreen) 
 

Yes
Yes

720p @ 59.94Hz 
 

Yes
Yes

1080p @ 60Hz @ 4:4:4 
 

Yes
Yes

1080p @ 120Hz 
 

Yes
Yes

1080p @ 144Hz 
 

No
No

1440p @ 60Hz 
 

Yes
Yes (forced resolution required)

1440p @ 120Hz 
 

Yes
No

1440p @ 144Hz 
 

No
No

4k @ 60Hz 
 

Yes
Yes

4k @ 60Hz @ 4:4:4 
 

Yes
Yes

4k @ 120Hz 
 

Yes
Yes

4k @ 120Hz @ 4:4:4 
 

Yes
Yes

4k @ 144Hz 
 

No
No

8k @ 30Hz or 24Hz 
 

No
No

8k @ 60Hz 
 

No
No
Show Text 

PS5 Compatibility 
 

PS5 Screenshot  

Auto Low Latency Mode (ALLM) 
 

Yes
Yes

4k @ 120Hz 
 

Yes
Yes

1440p @ 120Hz 
 

PS5 doesn't output 1440p
No

1080p @ 120Hz 
 

Yes
Yes

HDR 
 

Yes
Yes

VRR 
 

Yes
Yes
Show Text 

Xbox Series X|S Compatibility 
 

Xbox Series X Screenshot  

Auto Low Latency Mode (ALLM) 
 

Yes
Yes

4k @ 120Hz 
 

Yes
Yes

1440p @ 120Hz 
 

Yes
No

1080p @ 120Hz 
 

Yes
Yes

HDR 
 

Yes
Yes

VRR 
 

Yes
Yes

Inputs Specifications  

HDR10 
 

Yes
Yes

HDR10+ 
 

Yes
No

Dolby Vision 
 

No
Yes

HLG 
 

Yes
Yes

HDMI 2.0 Full Bandwidth 
 

Yes (HDMI 1,2,3,4)
Yes (HDMI 1,2,3,4)

HDMI 2.1 Class Bandwidth 
 

Yes (HDMI 4)
Yes (HDMI 3,4)

CEC  

Yes
Yes

HDCP 2.2  

Yes (HDMI 1,2,3,4)
Yes (HDMI 1,2,3,4)

ATSC Tuner 
 

1.0
3.0 (NEXTGEN TV)

USB 3.0 
 

No
Yes (1)

Variable Analog Audio Out  

No
Yes

Wi-Fi Support  

Yes (2.4 GHz, 5 GHz)
Yes (2.4 GHz, 5 GHz)
Show Text 

Input Photos  

Side Inputs Picture  

Rear Inputs Picture  

Total Inputs  

HDMI  

4
4

USB  

2
2

Digital Optical Audio Out  

1
1

Analog Audio Out 3.5mm  

0
1

Analog Audio Out RCA  

0
0

Component In  

0
0

Composite In  

0
1 (adapter required, not incl.)

Tuner (Cable/Ant)  

1
1

Ethernet  

1
1

DisplayPort  

0
0

IR In  

0
1
Show Text 

Audio Passthrough 
 

ARC/eARC Port 
 

eARC
eARC

eARC: Dolby Atmos Over Dolby Digital Plus 
 

Yes
Yes

eARC: Dolby Digital Plus 7.1 
 

Yes
Yes

eARC: LPCM 7.1 Over Dolby MAT 
 

Yes
Yes

eARC: Dolby TrueHD 7.1 
 

Yes
Yes

eARC: DTS:X Over DTS-HD MA 
 

No
Yes

eARC: DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 
 

No
Yes

eARC: LPCM Channels (Bitstream) 
 

7.1
7.1

ARC: Dolby Digital 5.1 
 

Yes
Yes

ARC: DTS 5.1 
 

No
Yes

Optical: Dolby Digital 5.1 
 

Yes
Yes

Optical: DTS 5.1 
 

No
Yes
Show Text 
Sound Quality

Frequency Response 
 

6.5
7.6

Frequency Response  

See details
See details

Low-Frequency Extension 
 

119.87 Hz
89.80 Hz

Std. Dev. @ 70 
 

3.38 dB
2.43 dB

Std. Dev. @ 80 
 

3.37 dB
2.10 dB

Std. Dev. @ Max 
 

5.61 dB
3.13 dB

Max 
 

89.4 dB SPL
90.9 dB SPL

Dynamic Range Compression 
 

5.09 dB
4.59 dB
Show Text 

Distortion 
 

5.8
6.1

Total Harmonic Distortion 
 

See details
See details

Weighted THD @ 80 
 

0.114
0.066

Weighted THD @ Max 
 

0.602
5.547

IMD @ 80 
 

7.75%
1.91%

IMD @ Max 
 

52.73%
43.49%
Show Text 
Smart Features

Interface 
 

8.5
8.0

Smart TV Picture  

Smart OS  

Tizen
Google TV

Version  

2021
10

Ease of Use 
 

Easy
Average

Smoothness 
 

Very Smooth
Very Smooth

Time Taken to Select YouTube 
 

2 s
2 s

Time Taken to Change Backlight 
 

7 s
2 s

Advanced Options 
 

Many
Many
Show Text 

Ad-Free 
 

0.0
0.0

Ads Picture  

Ads 
 

Yes
Yes

Opt-out 
 

No
No

Suggested Content in Home 
 

Yes
Yes

Opt-out of Suggested Content 
 

No
No
Show Text 

Apps and Features 
 

8.5
9.0

Apps Picture  

App Selection 
 

Great
Great

App Smoothness 
 

Average
Very Smooth

Cast Capable 
 

Yes
Yes

USB Drive Playback 
 

Yes
Yes

USB Drive HDR Playback 
 

Yes
Yes

HDR in Netflix 
 

Yes
Yes

HDR in YouTube 
 

Yes
Yes
Show Text 

Remote 
 

8.5
8.5

Remote Picture  

Size 
 

Small
Large

Voice Control 
 

Many Features
Many Features

CEC Menu Control 
 

Yes
Yes

Other Smart Features 
 

Yes
No

Remote App  

Samsung SmartThings
Android TV
Show Text 

TV Controls  

Controls Picture  

Show Text 

In The Box  

In The Box Picture  

Show Text 

Misc  

Power Consumption  

53 W
49 W

Power Consumption (Max)  

149 W
148 W

Firmware  

1054
PKG6.3629.0454NAA

Check Price

50"
 
50"
XR50X90J
Amazon.com
55"
QN55QN85AAFXZA
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
55"
XR55X90J
Amazon.com
65"
QN65QN85AAFXZA
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
65"
XR65X90J
Amazon.com
75"
QN75QN85AAFXZA
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
75"
XR75X90J
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
85"
QN85QN85AAFXZA
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
85"
 

Samsung QN85A

Sony X90J

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Samsung QN85A vs Sony X90J: Main Discussion

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